Medium Power Casting Rods

[Big Fish Small Pond]

Do medium power casting rods have enough backbone to really get full casting distance as compared to a medium-heavy power casting rod?

[Bluebasser86]

Provided you're using the appropriate sized baits they should cast as far if not farther. 

[desmobob]

I don't see much mention of Medium power casting rods here... lots of talk on MH and H.  What do most guys use them for (if they use them)?

 

Tight lines,

Bob

[tater555]

With my 6'6" Mf I throw dropshot and weightless senkos. They load up better than a mh-f with the light stuff and really let me chunk em' out there.

[tater555]

And yes they have plenty of backbone, I landed a about a 10 lb black fish with mine and he pulled harder than any bass I ever hooked. It had enough to keep him under control and away from the bad stuff

[John G]

I don't see much mention of Medium power casting rods here... lots of talk on MH and H.  What do most guys use them for (if they use them)?

 

Tight lines,

Bob

I  use my Loomis MBR782GLX/Conquest 50 combo for top water, weightless Flukes, 1/8oz finesse jigs and T Rigged finesse worms and Trick Worms with a 1/8oz bullet weight. I plan on getting another for top water only. There are also many other uses for this rod.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

To begin with, there are no industry standards for what constitutes a M/MH/H or Fast/Mod F....... it's all subjective. Any given rod will have an ideal weight that will load the blank for maximum casting efficiency and a range on either end. The sweet spot usually falls somewhere in the middle of the labeled range but only experience will tell for sure. A lot of anglers prefer spinning tackle for lighter baits <1/2 oz or so leading to the popularity of heavier casting rods. 

 

A fast taper rod will often cast well and still posses enough power in the butt section to fight large fish or get them out of heavy cover. It's a balancing act that rod builders both, production and custom do when designing rods for certain applications.

 

I've built casting rods on everything from light to xxHvy blanks

[bass1980]

Exactly what Delaware tackle said. To give you an idea for my setups I'll let you know what I use mine for.

7'2 Cumura medium fast - drop shot near weed lines

6'7 *** medium fast - jerk bait

7'1 *** medium fast - shakey head

7'3 *** medium fast - senko

With jerk bait a medium will load better for the sizes I'm throwing and no need to step up to MH since I'm not around weeds.

With my drop shot and shakey head some people go ML but I fish around weed lines and sometimes slightly inside of weed lines so I need more Power than a ML.

My general rule, may not be for everyone, is if I'm throwing 1/4 to 1/2 Oz and open to moderate cover I'm going with a medium rod.

[new2BC4bass]

Provided you're using the appropriate sized baits they should cast as far if not farther. 

 A DVT supertuned Curado 51E on a 7' MF Prodigy casts just as far...if not further... with a 5/16 oz. spinnerbait as a 7'MHF with a 1/2 oz. spinnerbait.  So does an Alphas on a 7'3" *** Black.

 

Not only that but I am tossing a 3/16 oz. Shad Rap on 2 ML rods and a Light rod a goodly distance.  Naturally they don't have the backbone of a Medium power rod.

 

My 7' ML HMG will put a 5/16 oz. spinnerbait out there just as far as any of the other rods I have.  Are you getting the idea I practice with spinnerbaits a lot?     

[smalljaw67]

Do medium power casting rods have enough backbone to really get full casting distance as compared to a medium-heavy power casting rod?

 

The power has little to do with casting distance as long as the weight is in the range of the rod, length of the rod and the taper of the rod are what dictates casting distance. If you have a 7' medium power rod that is rated 1/4oz to 5/8oz and you throw a 3/8oz jig with it, you'll probably get the same distance you would with a 7' medium heavy rated 1/4oz to 3/4oz throwing a 3/8oz bait if both were from the same manufacturer and had the same fast taper.

[.ghoti.]

Out of my 16 current casting rod lineup, 10 are medium or med-light. I only have two heavy power rods. One of those hasn't been out of the house in at least three years, and the other sees very limited use.

 

For me, heavy rods and line take away most of the challenge, and all of the fun in fishing.

[Darren.]

I don't see much mention of Medium power casting rods here... lots of talk on MH and H.  What do most guys use them for (if they use them)?

 

Tight lines,

Bob

 

I prefer M and ML for my casting rods. They're used for

worm fishing, some moving baits. I have one MH rod that

I barely, if ever, use.

[Catch and Grease]

I use a M/F for most lipless cranks and square bills

[Big Fish Small Pond]

Hey guys, Thanks for more of these awesome responses. This is very interesting, now I already have a black max on a 6'6" MH Ugly Stik for my beginner casting rig. So from what I have gathered, It would be best to throw crankbaits with this Ugly Stik rig due to its MH power and it does not have a fast tip but does not specify an action.

 

However, for throwing plastics(such as Wacky Worms, Texas Rigged Worms, Lizards, Tubes, and Ribbits) I should be looking for more of a M/XF, M/F, MH/XF, MH/F with the obvoius emphasis on the faster action tip?

[J Francho]

Let's see, in casting I have:

 

1x 6-2 M/XF, spinnerbaits, spooks, poppers, jerkbaits

2x 6-8 M/XF, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits

1x 6-10 M/F, jig/worm, traps, squarebills

3x 7-0 M/F, jig/worm, traps, squarebills

 

Each casts the bait I primarily use on them farther, or more accurately than any other I own, save for the 6-2 topwater/jerkbait rod.  That actually outcasts most others, but it has more to do with what reel is on it.  Distance is secondary to accuracy, and has more to do with matching the right rod and reel to the weight and type of bait your throwing. 

[desmobob]

Ahhh... there is plenty of love for medium power casting rods!  I have a decent (SC Premier) 7' MHF rod and plan to get my first really good rod in that same length/power/action.  But in the mean time, I'm wondering what to use my 20%-off coupon for at Bass Pro.  I was considering a heavy frog rod but now, I think I'm going to look at a 6'8" MXF or 7'2"MF Johnny Morris Signature Series rod first.  It sounds like something I could use a lot more than a specialized frog rod.

 

Tight lines,

Bob

[hatrix]

Out of my 16 current casting rod lineup, 10 are medium or med-light. I only have two heavy power rods. One of those hasn't been out of the house in at least three years, and the other sees very limited use.

 

For me, heavy rods and line take away most of the challenge, and all of the fun in fishing.

Wow that seems so weird to me. I am totally the opposite and most of mine are on the higher end and I have very few lighter rods. It makes sense for me though since I rarely throw lighter lures. I guess I probably throw things somewhere around 3/8-5/8 maybe 4/8-3/4 most of the time. The only "small" lure I have really fished recently is a spinbait 80. But I have been using spinning tackle and btw it kills them They hit that thing so hard.

[bass1980]

Hey guys, Thanks for more of these awesome responses. This is very interesting, now I already have a black max on a 6'6" MH Ugly Stik for my beginner casting rig. So from what I have gathered, It would be best to throw crankbaits with this Ugly Stik rig due to its MH power and it does not have a fast tip but does not specify an action.

 

However, for throwing plastics(such as Wacky Worms, Texas Rigged Worms, Lizards, Tubes, and Ribbits) I should be looking for more of a M/XF, M/F, MH/XF, MH/F with the obvoius emphasis on the faster action tip?

 

First off, typically a crank rod will be Medium Moderate. For now just use what you have.

 

For you plastic, first determine the lakes you'll be fishing in. Are they super weedy like northern natural lakes or rock bottom and timbers like some southern lakes. Considering those lures you are throwing I'm assuming you won't put a heavy bullet head on or any. Medium will do on moderate to no vegetation lake. If you're fishing in milfoil or a lot of weeds, then go MH. However going MH will reduce your casting distance if you don't put a bullet head of 1/4 oz or up. It's a balancing act, as to why many anglers have multiple setups for different techniques, lures, weights, and cover. IMO if your lakes has some sorts of weed go with MH.

[greentrout]

I don't see much mention of Medium power casting rods here... lots of talk on MH and H.  What do most guys use them for (if they use them)?

 

Tight lines,

Bob

I use 'em for 5'6", 6' and 6'6" rods for spinner bait fishing with 1/4 oz. lures, cranks same and worm fishing from 10lb to 12lb mono test. with my favorite bait casters. 

 

Old school basser...

[kikstand454]

Almost every rod I have is a mh. I just don't throw alot of light stuff. I throw a spook Jr just fine on a mh.

That being said. ... I recently got a 7' m/f veritas that I am in total love with. I know that its underrated power wise and may be what many consider mh/f - but its much less stiff still than my other mh rods. I guess its somewhere in between.

I just keep tying moving baits on it to see what it'll throw and it keeps asking for more. I've thrown weightless floating worms and 6xd's on it- worked great! Lipless crank season is coming. ........

[thehooligan]

All my rods are medium/medium light, have one 6'10 cumulus thats rated medium heavy but its really a medium action rod.

 

I think a good medium fast action casting rod is one of the most versatile tools out there. With my 6'8 cumara, im comfortable throwing weightless plastics, jerkbaits, topwater, cranks, and spinnerbaits.

 

I rarely throw frogs anymore so i have no need for heavy action rods...

 

One of my all time favorite rods, and a great review. You can see how versatile it is...

 

http://tackletour.com/reviewshimanocumara68m.html

[coak]

^x2......only time I worry about anything more powerful than a medium is dependent upon heavy vegetation/structure and species if not fishing for smallies

[timsford]

I use med power rods quute a bit. I mostky stick with weight rating but rods are deoendent on rating by the manufacturer. I use med fast rods or xfast rods for any single hook bait between 1/2 oz and med moderate or mod fast rods for treble hook baits at the same weight. I feel like they load better and cast farther than mh unless im going to over 1/2 oz. 1/2 oz to 1 oz i use a mh. And over 1 oz i use a h or xh. I fish where there are no weeds or much cover to speak of other than fallen trees though so if you fish heavy cover this may not work for yoy

[ArticWolf]

On 10/23/2014 at 7:32 AM, desmobob said:

I don't see much mention of Medium power casting rods here... lots of talk on MH and H.  What do most guys use them for (if they use them)?

 

Tight lines,

Bob

Weightless applications like t rigs and drop shots, and almost everyone uses medium power rods for cranking so the flex eases trebled in rather than pulling them out 

On 10/26/2014 at 7:13 AM, timsford said:

I use med power rods quute a bit. I mostky stick with weight rating but rods are deoendent on rating by the manufacturer. I use med fast rods or xfast rods for any single hook bait between 1/2 oz and med moderate or mod fast rods for treble hook baits at the same weight. I feel like they load better and cast farther than mh unless im going to over 1/2 oz. 1/2 oz to 1 oz i use a mh. And over 1 oz i use a h or xh. I fish where there are no weeds or much cover to speak of other than fallen trees though so if you fish heavy cover this may not work for yoy

What he said lol

[The Fisher]

I have a 6’8” St Croix Mojo MXF for poppers and small topwaters paired with a Daiwa SV105  Casts great and no problem with landing fish